Morelia is soon to be put on the chess map in a big way, as San Luis, Argentina was last month. As rumored for months, the 2006 Linares supertournament is going to be divided between Linares and the Mexican city.

America's Foundation for Chess (AF4C) and the Internet Chess Club (ICC) have teamed up to again bring a special US Championship qualifying event. It's the State Champion of Champions online blitz tournament with the winner going to play in the 2006 championship in San Diego starting Feb. 28.

Garry Kasparov just left New York for parts west. When the news came out the negotiations for a Kramnik-Topalov match had broken down I mentioned that many have suggested that Kramnik might now come after him.

A long, snippy press release from Vladimir Kramnik's management in Germany blames Veselin Topalov and FIDE for the breakdown of a proposed match between Kramnik and Topalov. It's a predictably vitriolic and one-sided document and there is no way to know how closely it resembles reality.

Several people sent this in, and I'd probably have mentioned it even if it were the first time I'd heard it. But this rumor was going around GM chess circles less than a week after San Luis finished, according to a review of my inbox.

Better late than never is the Russian team's new motto. The star-studded, if often underperforming, squad turned things around on the final day of the World Team Championship in Beer Sheva, Israel with a 3.5-0.5 win over the Chinese team...

The important culture and news magazine The Atlantic has a nice piece on Garry Kasparov's political life in Russia this month. He's been out stumping in the hinterlands off and on all year, no small task in a country with...

The latest volley in the world championship cycle rule change is a comprehensive summary from FIDE's Makro. It sounds like we're stuck with tournaments instead of matches, at least until they change their mind again.

I was hoping that if waited long enough ChessBase would post this press release so I wouldn't have to. French organizer Leo Battesti has been endorsed by the French chess federation in his run for FIDE president in the May 2006 elections.